EPA Document Collection

Subject Index

About the EPA document collection held by the Noise Pollution Clearinghouse.

Subject Index: A B C E G H I L M O P R S T U W
Title Index: A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P Q R S T U W

Single page lists: authors subjects titles
Most useful EPA documents

Transportation

Analysis and Control of Mechanical Noise in Internal Combustion Engines
July 1, 1982
PDF

This report reviews the state-of-the-art for internal combustion engine noise reduction and presents new techniques for reducing engine block vibration and radiated noise. A vibration analysis technique based on measured mobilities was developed as a diagnostic tool foidnfying noise sources and vibration transmission paths. This technique makes it possible to identify and rank order the sources of noise within the engine. New design techniques using resilient bearings and modified cylinder liners are also described.

Community Noise Ordinances: Their Evolution, Purpose and Impact
March 13, 1973
PDF

In the United States most municipal noise ordinances initially regulated street related activities, however, these early provisions were generally non-quantitative and consequently unenforceable. The first ordinances containing specific permissible noise levels regulated either activities fixed to the land (industrial activity being the primary source) or automobile and trucks operating on roadways. Today more comprehensive ordinances are evolveing and these regulations are the basis for expanded municipal noise control programs. Their impact has varied due to the quality, content and administration of these ordinances. Recently approved Federal noise legislation (Noise Control Act of 1972) will have a profound influence on the quality and quantity of municipal ordinances.

The Economic Impact of Noise
December 31, 1971
PDF

A study has been undertaken to survey the economic impact of noise. Data available on the entire subject of noise and its abatement are so rudimentary that they do not lend themselves to even the most primitive economic analysis. It is demonstrated that the number of sources of noise in homes, in industry, on the highways, and in the air. It is growing at a dramatic rate. These noise sources are heterogeneous and transient, and, therefore, a universal solution for abatement of noise at the source is not available. From the economic viewpoint, it has been demonstrated that substantial costs are associated with noise and its abatement. Costs such as those associated with equipment redesign, right-of-way, and receiver insulation are discussed in detail. The most glaring data gaps highlight the need for research into the relationship between noise, its abatement, and its impact on: wages, prices, productivity, production costs, employment, balance of payment, real property values, and health. Research using the principles of economics must identify and analyze the most cost-effective alternative solutions to noise. A discussion of spending for noise research is included in the study.

Effects of Noise on Wildlife and Other Animals
December 31, 1971
PDF

In recent years the possible effects of noise on wildlife have become a matter of serious concern, for several excellent reasons. Our rapidly growing population and advancing technology result in ever increasing noise levels. Noise is an unwanted and at times a potentially dangerous by-product of virtually every aspect of modern-day life - construction, transportation, power generation, manufacturing, recreation, etc. Today we find that areas previously considered remote, and therefore relatively non-polluted by noise, are now being exposed or are in danger of exposure to various kinds of noise pollution. The effects that increased noise levels will have on wildlife in these areas are virtually unknown. Obviously animals that rely on their auditory systems for courtship and mating behavior, prey location, predator detection, homing, etc., will be more threatened by increased noise than will species that utilize other sensory modalities. However, due to the complex interrelationships that exist among all the organisms in an ecosystem, interference with one species might well affect all the other species.

An Evaluation of Strategies to Control Noise From Refuse Collection Vehicles
October 1, 1981
PDF

This report investigated four potential noise control approaches to the control of noise from refuse collection vehicles. These included: (1) the potential impact of a legislative alternative requiring stationary compactors for all new high-rise developments; (2) the effect of a collection curfew; (3) the incorporation of noise into an annual inspection program and (4) the impact of taking no local action and allowing federal regulations to serve as the only control. It provides a mechanism for routine monitoring and isolation of particularly noise vehicles. As this study was performed in Prince George's County, Maryland, where high-rise development is minimal, further consideration for the first alternative was not given.

Guidance Manual for Police in State and Local Noise Enforcement Procedures
PDF

The purpose of this manual is to provide law enforcement personnel with the necessary technical skills and procedures to enforce State and Local motor vehicle noise laws. The manual has been written for use by the police officer charged with the enforcement responsibilities, as well as his supervisor.

Guide to the Soundproofing of Existing Homes Against Exterior Noise
October 1, 1977
PDF

This manual was prepared for the city of Los Angeles Department of Airports and is reprinted and distributed with their permission. This manual should be of help to the designer in selecting and conceptualizing various methods of soundproofing existing homes. The manual would be useful with the previously distributed TechShare Report No. TS-77-202, "Insulation of Buildings Against Highway Noise," and the current distribution of TechShare Report No. FHWA TS-77-220 titled "Background Report on Outdoor Indoor Noise Reduction Calculation Procedures Employing the Exterior Wall Noise Rating (EWNR) Method." This guide presents the various successful methods used in a 1970 pilot project to increase the noise reduction capabilities of existing houses for the Los Angeles Department of Airports. Three categories of modification from minor to extensive are covered. The guide also provides a basic understanding of the elements of noise control and the systematic method of soundproofing houses. This guide expands the repertory of methods and techniques of reducing the impact of highway traffic noise on its neighbors.

Health Effects of Noise - Literature Survey Update
June 1, 1982
PDF

In September 1980, the authors submitted a report to the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association which reviewed the literature existing at that time concerning the health effects of noise. This report is an update and extension of that literature review, covering material published on that topic since January 1, 1980, and extending the coverage to include infrasound. The time period covered with reference to the effects of infrasound is from 1972 to the present. This report is a brief summary of the findings, based on the same procedures and the same criteria described in full in the 1980 report.

Highway Noise - A Reprint of "The Audible Landscape: A Manual for Highway Noise and Land Use"
August 1, 1976
PDF

A Method for Assessing Automobile Noise
June 1, 1980
PDF

This study presents a methods that can be used to examine and quantify each factor contributing to motor vehicle noise produced by automobile accelerating on city/suburban streets. It is based on data collected in six different jurisdictions subject to a range of noise control programs and was developed to assisst State/local jurisdictions to formulate or refine motor vehicle noise control programs.

Noise Source Regulation in State and Local Noise Ordinances
February 1, 1975
PDF

This document has been prepared as a planning and reference guide for public administrators of environmental noise control programs. It presents a summary of noise source regulations encompassed in current state laws and local ordinances. Data have been extracted from only those laws and ordinances stipulating specific decibel levels. For the states, the laws summarized are grouped under the headings: motor vehicles, recreational vehicles, land use, and general. For localities, the headings are: motor vehicles, recreational vehicles, intrusive noise sources, stationary noise sources, construction noise, and miscellaneous noise regulations. Because of the many variations among local jurisdictional regulations, no attempt was made to list the specific noise level requirements for recreational vehicles, construction equipment, or land use.

Population Distribution of the United States as a Function of Outdoor Noise Level - Volume 2
June 1, 1974
PDF

This appendix provides a description of each of the 100 measurement sites utilized during this project. The computer output listings for each of the sites are also presented. Data are presented by city, in alphabetical order. Figures B-1 through B-14 show maps of the fourteen cities in which noise measurements were obtained. On each map the specific measurement locations are indicated. Figures B-15 through B-114 provide data for each of the sites. The first page of each figure, labeled Figure B-xx(a) provides a physical description of the site. A photo and vicinity map are shown, and the address, population density, and measured Ldn value are given. Also listed are various parameters of the traffic flow in the general vicinity of the site. The street on which the site is located, and the street in the vicinity of the site, are both classified into one of four categories: freeway, arterial, collector, and local. Also indicated are the types of vehicles that traverse these streets. Noise sources other than traffic that affect the noise environment at the site are also listed. The second page of the figure, labeled Figure B-xx(b), lists various statistics and noise levels for each hour of the day. Tabulated are the maximum and minimum values occurring during the hour, the noise pollution level (NPL), the standard deviation (SIG) of the distribution of levels occurring during the hour, the L-equivalent level (LEQ), and the traffic noise index (TNI). Various percentile levels ranging from L1 to L99 are also listed. Similar noise measures are tabulated for the daytime (0700-2200 hrs.) and nighttime (2200-0700 hrs.) periods on the final page, labeled Figure B-xx(c). Plotted at the top of this page is the distribution of levels for the daytime and nighttime periods. Also, the weighted 24-hour L-equivalent value, with weighting factors of 0, 8, 10, and 12 decibels for the nighttime period, are listed. Note that the weighted L-equivalent value for a weighting factor of 10 decibels is the day/night sound level (Ldn).

Proceedings Surface Transportation Exhaust System Noise Symposium
PDF

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/Office of Noise Abatement and Control (EPA/ONAC) has initiated studies pursuant to requirements established under Section 8 of the Noise Control Act of 1972 which may lead to Federal requirements for the labeling of surface transportation vehicles and mufflers with respect to noise. One study is designed to assess the methodologies available to measure and communicate the noise reduction characteristics of surface transportation vehicle exhaust systems. The information communicated may be actual sound levels or information relative to sound levels (i.e., verification that a vehicle with a particular aftermarket muffler installed will meet an applicable standard), or other information such as warranty claims, proper maintenance and operator instructions, etc. The information would be used by dealers, repair facilities, enforcement personnel and the general public.

Synthesis of Social Surveys on Noise Annoyance
March 1, 1978
PDF

Since noise was first recognized as a serious environmental pollutant, a number of social surveys have been conducted in order to assess the magnitude of the problem and to develop suitable noise ratings, such that, from a measurement of certain physical characteristics of community noise, one could reliably predict the community's subjective response to the noise. Recently, the author has reviewed the data from social surveys concerning the noise of aircraft, street traffic, expressway traffic, and railroads. Going back to the original published data, the various survey noise ratings were translated to day-night average sound level, and an independent judgment was made, where choices were possible, as in which respondents should be counted as "higly annoyed". The results of 11 of these surveys show a remarkable consistency. It is proposed that the average of these curves is the best currently available relationship for predicting community annoyance due to transportation noise of all kinds.

The Urban Noise Survey
August 1, 1977
PDF

Most of the existing social survey data base on community annoyance has been in character and has been concerned primarily with airport and highway related noise. An essential element in assessing the impact of noise in urban areas away from airports and highways is the evaluation of the attitudes of people concerning the noise in the residential environment. A social survey was conducted to sample opinion over the entire range of noise exposure and population density characteristics of non-rural America.The objective of the Urban Noise Survey was to develop a first order relationship between noise exposure and human response as a function of situational and attitudinal variables associated with the life styles of people in various urban environments. This survey differed from prior surveys in the general area of noise pollution in several important aspects: (1) it was specifically designed to study noise exposure not directly related to airport and highway sources; (2) the social survey was made in conjunction with simultaneous physical measurements of noise exposure at sites with widely different noise environments; (3) it was national rather than local in character and was addressed to a broad rather than narrow range of noise exposures and respondents' life styles. Some of the major conclusions are that: (a) exposure to noise typical of many urban (non-aircraft and non-highway) environments produces widespread annoyance, speech interference, and sleep disturbance; (b) a strong relationship was demonstrated between exposure level and the proportion of a community highly annoyed by noise; (c) the prevalence of speech interference is an especially good predictor of annoyance; (d) the number of complaints about noise is a poor predictor of the prevalence of annoyance; (e) demographic factors alone are relatively poor predictors of noise annoyance; (f) freedom from noise exposure is a component of a neighborhood satisfaction, and quiet is highly valued; (g) noises associated with automotive sources are the most pervasive sources of annoying noise in urban areas; (h) annoyance associated with intrusive noise sources may be related to measurable noise exposure from such sources, even when their magnitudes are not as great as the level of overall exposure in a community; (i) there is some evidence that human response to noise exposure at Ldn values in excess of 70 dB is more acute than at lower levels.

Trucks

Community Noise Ordinances: Their Evolution, Purpose and Impact
March 13, 1973
PDF